Dimension Hopping to Happiness, a Guide by Kudou Shinichi
by Akana-chan
Summary: Waking up in an unfamiliar environment without any recollection of how he got there shouldn't be a common occurrence. Unfortunately, Shinichi was quite accustomed to it. Waking up in another dimension, however, is a whole new story.
1. Chapter 1 Slept Well, Sleeping Beauty?

_**Summary:**_ _Waking up in an unfamiliar environment without any recollection of how he got there shouldn't be a common occurrence. Unfortunately, Shinichi was quite accustomed to it._

 _Waking up in another dimension, however, is a whole new story._

 ** _Author Note:_** Cross-posted from my AO3 acccount.

Welcome to my first fanfiction. Yay?

Reincarnation fics have always been a weakness of mine. So here we go with my attempt at writing something at least a bit entertaining. There will be some (or a lot of) awkward-ish English, meaning it is not my first language. Punctuation is my weakness.

If you have any questions or recommendations, feel free to leave a comment. That said, have a good time reading!

* * *

 **Dimension Hopping to Happiness, a Guide by Kudou Shinichi**

 **Chapter 1. Slept Well, Sleeping Beauty?**

 _ **Chapter summary:**_ _According Shinichi, being unconscious is less confusing._

Shinichi woke up with a pulsing headache. Groaning, he tried to pry his lids open, but it was like they were cast in iron. His ears picked up a quiet murmur of voices nearby.

"I do not know how he wound up here," a woman's voice said softly. "Humans rarely visit our lands and another visit from their delegation is not due for quite some time."

"Moreover, he did not have supplies for such a long journey on him and no means of transportation."

Shinichi barely suppressed a jolt. That voice… He knew that voice.

"Oh, look at that. It seems like our guest is waking up. How are you feeling, Sleeping Beauty?"

With no little trepidation Shinichi finally opened his eyes. His first thought was that it was awfully bright wherever he was. His second thought was that someone was playing a cruel joke in him.

"Are you feeling alright?"

 _No way_

"He seems out of it."

 _Not possible_

He could barely make out what Ka- _stranger_ was saying over the sound of blood pounding in his ears. It was a dream, right? He was going to wake up any second now.

"I think it would be better for him to rest more."

"Agreed. Now rest, we will talk later."

Blissful unconsciousness chased away confusing thoughts. …However, he couldn't help but hope.

 _Maybe it really was him?_

-linebreak-

Cerea closed the door leading to their newest guest's room with a soft click. Turning to her companion she sighed, "That could have gone better."

"It could," her companion nodded in agreement, "But I had a strange feeling that my presence made him uncomfortable".

Had she less dignity, Cerea would have snorted, "I would not blame him, Mr Perfect." They moved along a long well-lit corridor. "Your perfectness must have stunned him speechless."

"Ha-ha, how funny. You have been listening to gossip again, haven't you?" he raised one eyebrow at her.

She shrugged, "You have to admit it is quite entertaining, brother." Coming to an end of corridor, her brother opened the door and let her through first. "Oh, what a gentleman," she teased, "No wonder all the girls swoon over you."

He answered her like a 'mature adult', meaning sticking out his tongue at her. Cerea loved seeing her brother at home without any outsiders. Her brother being at home meant being called 'Rea. Being at home meant childish banter and laughter, tender hugs and comfort, unconditional support and open affection.

It wasn't like he ignored her or her sisters in public. It was his station that was the problem. Being at the top of the social and political ladder meant never being able to relax as there were prying eyes everywhere. And her brother had the responsibility of being the grand and invincible Lord of House Starsorrow trust upon him oh so early. With their parents' premature death he didn't have the luxury of growing into the role. By the stars, he didn't even have an opportunity to grieve properly with all the responsibilities and social obligations suddenly falling on his shoulders. He didn't have a chance _not_ to be perfect. The so called 'higher society' was full of vultures. Give an inch and they'll take a mile and more. She was lucky to have avoided such fate.

Cerea ignored her brother's concerned gaze. No need for him to worry about her even more.

The room they entered was spacious and decorated in colors of turquoise and gold. Walls were lined by shelves full of thick books. Two armchairs stood in front of an unlit fireplace. Settling down in one of the comfortable looking armchairs, he frowned, "Banter aside, we do need to find out why and how he got here. I think this may have something to do with it."

He held up a dull grey stone, completely unassuming and easily overlooked. If it did not pulse with strong magic, which was the main reason he rushed to the gardens and found the human, it would still be lying somewhere in the gardens. However, now it was lifeless, just an ordinary stone. Where could that magic go?

"I know that," she answered from an armchair opposite to her brother's. "Maybe it would be better for me to question him alone? He did look like he had seen a ghost when he caught sight of you."

This made her suspicious of the man sleeping down the corridor. Why would he react like that? Nevertheless, she trusted her brother's abilities. None of his protection spell detected any malicious intent. For now she was willing to give their 'guest' the benefit of doubt.

Her brother hummed in agreement, "That might be the best course of action for now." He stood up and nodded at his sister, "I will be off then."

"Already?" she asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Well, your Perfect Brother must go and be His Majesty's Perfect Advisor."

No, Cerea did not pout. Not at all. She was not a child.

"See you at dinner, Kai. Today is 'Vea's turn to cook."

"Did you mean burn water?"

Cerea rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes, none of us can cook except for you and Lylenne." Even if trying to do anything other than baking makes all of her cooking abilities take an unplanned vacation. Lylenne's pastries were to die for, though. A small sincere smile appeared on her face. _And you never fail to eat every crumb of our failed cooking attempts_ , she thought to herself.

Her brother loved his sisters with all his heart. He had basically raised them. She has always marveled how he managed to juggle their needs and his responsibilities. Of course, he could not be everywhere all the time, but never had they felt neglected or unwanted.

"Don't worry. I'll be back right for dinner." He dropped a kiss on the forehead before heading out. "I will even swing by that bakery you love so much."

Cerea loved her brother more than anything, all of the sisters did.

-linebreak-

Waking up in an unfamiliar environment without any recollection of how he got there shouldn't be a common occurrence. Unfortunately, Shinichi was quite accustomed to it. Granted, this time he wasn't in some damp cellar or a crazy murderer's basement of doom.ĺ

After pretending to be asleep for a while longer and discerning that he was alone in the room, Shinichi cautiously opened his eyes and took stock of his surroundings.

The bed he was lying on was the softest he had ever felt. Sunlight streamed through a set of wide windows. Foliage shimmered in the sunlight. He could hear faint echoes of birdsong outside. The room itself was beautiful, the design was unlike anything he had seen before. An abundance of free space made the room seem airy. The color scheme was of ivory and soft turquoise with gleaming golden accents.

The probability of having been kidnapped decreased with every new detail. After all, kidnappers didn't leave jugs of water on bedside tables for prisoners. They also didn't provide their prisoners with first class accommodations.

His examination was interrupted by a soft click of the doorknob turning. He froze, eyes glued to the door. It opened to reveal a woman with black waist length hair and fair skin. She was tall, a few centimeters higher than him. What made his thoughts stop short were her ears and eyes: long pointy ears and glowing blue eyes.

 _Long pointy_ _ears and glowing blue eyes_

The woman started looking concerned.

"Are you feeling alright?"

It took a couple of moments for his brain to restart and understand that she was concerned for him.

 _Definitely not a kidnapper_

"Wha-"

She hurried to pour him a glass of water as only dry coughs came out of his dry mouth.

"Drink slowly," she warned, handing him the glass.

While he relieved the drought in his mouth, she brought a chair closer to his bedside. Sitting down, she said, "I take it you have questions. And so do I." She smiled, "Looks like we could help each other out."

Eyeing her cautiously, he set the glass back down on the bedside table.

"Who are you? And where am I?"

"My name is Cerea Starsorrow. You are at my family's estate, which is located in the Golden Grove of the Shimmering Woods." Leaning forward, Cerea asked, "What I want to know is who you are and how you ended up in our gardens. Estate's protective spells are top-notch -my brother cast them himself and he is the _best_ \- and there is no way you could have got in. These spells are the reason you are here as a guest and not as a prisoner."

 _Golden Forest? Shimmering Woods? Spells?_

Shinichi figured he must have looked a bit dazed, because Cerea backtracked a bit, "Ah, I should have made sure if you are feeling alright before interrogating you. Are you in pain? How is your head? Syravea took a look at you when we first found you unconscious. She is an exceptional healer, so I assure you, physically you are in a good condition."

That bit of information didn't help his confusion. Nevertheless, he said, "I am fine, if still a bit dazed." Fiddling with his fingers, Shinichi went on, "It may be rude to ask… but… _What are you?_ "

Cerea blinked at him in surprise. Shinichi elaborated by gesturing at her hears and eyes.

"I am an elf if that is what you are asking."

Now it was Shinichi's turn to be surprised. "Elf?" he echoed in disbelief.

"Unless your hearing is failing you, yes, an elf," Cerea sighed. She had been doing that a lot lately. "Okay, let's start with simple things. Name and last clear memory."

"A-ah, my name is Shinichi. Kudou Shinichi. Last memory…" he racked his brain for a couple of moments. He frowned, when nothing came that could have explained his current predicament. "I remember being at home getting ready to head out. It was early in the evening."

Was there a need to explain that he was heading to another KID impersonator's heist? Shinichi scowled. He loathed those good for nothing impostors. None of them could hold a candle to KID. He made sure to knock them down a peg or two with extreme prejudice. This time the impersonator chose a gem of the same type as the real KID favored – large and red. Heart's Desire was the name if his foggy memory wasn't failing him completely.

"Of course nothing is ever as simple as having a clear picture from the start." Shinichi fidgeted under the elf's –because apparently elves were now his reality _whatevenwashislife_ – probing gaze. "What about this?"

At first Shinchi couldn't understand what some grey stone in her hand had to do with his situation. She handed it to him. As he turned over in his hands, a vague sense of recognition sparked in his mind. After a couple more moments of examining the stone a theory began to take shape.

 _Magic stones, of course,_ he thought. _Like de-aging and witches weren't enough._

Looking at Cerea, he weighted the pros and cons of telling her everything. In the end he decided to take a leap of faith. After all, if she wanted to hurt him, she could have done it while he was unconscious and vulnerable. Plus, well, _elves._ If magic had something to do with his sudden displacement, it should be right up their alley. Well, he hoped. But first he had to get a couple more facts in favor of his theory. Even if he hoped for the opposite.

"Before I say anything, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"This… Golden Grove you said? How far exactly is it in relation to Tokyo?"

Cerea tilted her head to the side in askance, "Return question – what is Tokyo?"

Shinichi let out what must have been a pretty hysteric laugh.

 _Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore._

"How outlandish does dimension hopping sound to you?"

"Not as much as you would think." What with all the portals mages are popping left and right. Or idiots using black magic trying to tap into the dark dimension.

"Oh, it's –ugh– great. Yeah, absolutely great." Gathering his thoughts Shinichi looked down at the stone in his hands. "This may indeed be a reason for my," he paused looking for the right word, "displacement."

"Oh? Do tell." Cerea's calculating eyes bored into him in search of even a trace of a lie. He had no doubts that she was cataloguing and analyzing every piece of information he gave her. She reminded him of Kaito, no matter how much it hurt to think that.

"This stone doesn't look like I remember it did before," he held up the stone in question. "I remember it as a red gem. It was called the Heart's Desire."

Cerea as a scholar was quick to catch on, "Is there any reason for the naming choice?"

Glad that his logic was followed, Shinichi continued, "There is. According to the myth surrounding it, the Heart's Desire can grant a wish that one most desires. However, the wish can be granted in any way as long as it satisfies the criteria."

That piqued her interest, "It sounds like a genie. Genies never grant wishes the way one expects them to do it."

"The thing is, I haven't wished for anything." He really didn't. All he wanted was to catch the KID impostor and _how dare he and he will never come even close to what Kaito can do who does he think he is ohmygodhemissedKaitososomuch-_

Realization slammed into him like a brick wall.

He _did_ wish for something, even if unconsciously. He wished for it every day for over 5 years.

 _He just wanted Kaito._

But it made no sense. How would going to a different dimension/world/whatever fulfill his wish?

Only–

Only he vaguely remembers hearing a familiar voice.

 _Kaito's voice_

At that time he thought he was dreaming, but what if this strange logic was indeed right?

While he was having a meltdown, Cerea sat patiently cataloguing his expressions: confusion, anger, surprise, realization, confusion again, disbelief, yet more confusion.

 _His face muscles are getting quite a workout there,_ she could not help but note. She will be generous and give him a couple more minutes to sort through what he just discovered. It would not do for her brother to come home to their guest having a mental breakdown just because she felt impatient.

Her patience paid off when Shinichi remembered that he was not the only one in the room.

"I take it you have come to some sort of conclusion," she cocked one eyebrow in askance.

He nodded still uncertain. When he spoke, his voice held a slight tremble to it.

"I may have wished for something unconsciously."

"And your wish was?"

"…"

She interpreted his silence as reluctance to disclose said wish. Cerea would be lying if she said that she did not want to know what kind of wish sent him sailing across dimensions. Cerea also knew when something was a hurtful kind of personal. No matter what anyone said, she did have tact. She just chose not to use it. Being straightforward is so much easier than trying to spare one's ego. However, this time Cerea chose not to pry further.

"Fine, as long as this information does not bring any harm, I am willing to let it go." She pretended not to notice how tension seeped out of his shoulders at her declaration.

She held out a hand, "Can I have the stone back? My brother will want to take a look at it."

"Oh, um, of course, here," Shinichi said as he dropped the once red gem into her outstretched palm.

"I will leave you alone for a couple of hours. You are not a prisoner here, but I like to exercise caution and would prefer not to have you wandering around before we get more information."

It made sense. Stranger wandering around one's home is not a pleasant notion. Plus, he _did_ need to sort out his thoughts.

"I think I'll manage."

* * *

 **End Note:** Yup, Kai is Kaito, which is short for Kai'el. We'll see more of him in the next chapter.

For now have first of my OCs - Cerea Starsorrow. As you may have notices, she is a sassy lady. What else did you expect from Kaito's sister even if we are not in DCMK anymore? I may post detailed character profiles later on.

I hope you found reading this story pleasing :D


	2. Chapter 2 Of Titles and Family

_**Notes:**_ Quite a bit of world building here. Lots of exposition, courtesy of inner monologue. No Shinichi POV this time. I used this chapter to give the reader at least a rudimentary understanding of the elven world + introducing OCs we'll see a lot.

* * *

 **Chapter 2. Of Titles and Family**

 _ **Chapter summary:**_ _In which we find out that everything is not sunshine and rainbows in the elven society. We get some sibling bonding (read: teasing). Oh, and Shinichi is confused (which is becoming a frequent occurrence)._

Paperwork was the bane of his existence. Why does holding a high post in the Royal Household result in having paperwork heaped onto him?

Kai'el Starsorrow glared at the paper in from of him, his hand screaming its displeasure at him. As he sorted through the legal requests, his thoughts could not help but turn to the human that mysteriously appeared in their garden.

Kai'el was the one who found him. He did not mention it to his sisters, but when he found the human he was still conscious if very disoriented. The reason he did not tell his sisters was a bit selfish.

The human called him 'Kaito'.

Not Kai. Not Kai'el. He has never been called that before, but for some reason being called Kaito jogged something in the back of his mind. Like a word at the tip of the tongue you just could not grasp. Every time he pursued the runaway feeling, it never failed to give him the slip. In all honesty it frustrated him.

Moreover, he was hardly ever called by his name outside of the comfort of his home. Nowadays it is always Lord Starsorrow this, My Lord that.

Kai'el scowled at the piece of paper in front of him. How many times did he need to say that he was not interested in marriage proposals? Or that his sisters weren't either? And how did they always manage to slip them into his paperwork?! If it didn't cause a scandal, Kai'el would have made sure the message got through other Lords' thick skulls. For now he had to make do with setting fire to the offending papers. It did little to dull his annoyance though.

Oh, how he loathed his inheritance sometimes. He looked at the proposal again. Scratch that. He hated it period.

Indeed, Kai'el Starsorrow had to walk the razor sharp edge of the elven social politics. It was far from easy to maintain the balance as elven politics were more than complicated. It was a hopeless tangle of interhouse relations and furious struggle for power.

At the top of the elven social and political hierarchy stood the King and the Royal Family. The King had three advisors: Head Tactician, Captain of the Royal Guard and Archmage.

The Head Tactician acted as the High Commander in wartime. In peacetime the role could be described more as the King's right hand. It was for influence on the ruler that made the position so coveted.

Kai'el's problem was that the Head Tactician was chosen from one of the Noble Houses 'as a way to ensure loyalty to the Crown'. This made interhouse politics a brutal and merciless battlefield, and being right in the thick of it made for the most unpleasant of experiences. Kai'el grimaced at the thought. He did not want the position. Unfortunately, what is needed to be done rarely coincides with what one wants to do.

Signing the last offending piece of dead tree in front of him, at least for the day, the young Lord of House Starsorrow chased those confusing thoughts away. Stretching, he sighed in relief as his stiff muscles relaxed.

"Knock-knock"

He turned his head in the direction of the voice. Lylenne smiled at him from the doorway with what looked like homemade food. Auntie Eve'era would always insist they needed to eat more.

"How is the battle with your most hated enemy?" the High Ranger asked in teasing tones that resurfaced only with those closest to her. Lylenne was not the type to let others close.

"It was a tough battle, but I prevailed," he joked back.

"Pity you would have to do it all over again," she said, not even trying to conceal her amusement at his look of despair.

"It never dies, Lyl. NEVER," Kai'el whispered as if he spoke any louder, paperwork would come for him with vengeance.

Shaking her head at her brother's utter loathing of paperwork, Lylenne addressed her original purpose of coming to Kai'el's office.

"My Lord, would you care to accompany me for lunch?" she said with all the pomp of the Lords' spoiled daughters that fawned and tittered over her brother from afar. She even batted her eyelashes at him.

Not that she could fault anyone, her brother was indeed a handsome man. With features noble and delicate like their mother, Kai'el inherited their father's height and unruly hair, which was a deep shade of ebony characteristic to their bloodline. His body was built for speed and agility like most of their kind. Her brother made for a striking image dressed in finest clothes, his blue eyes piercing and a tad intimidating in their intensity.

Kai'el's face blanked out in reaction to her impression of his many admirers. After a few more bats of eyelashes, he finally replied, "Only if you never do that again. I find that I prefer you in your most foul mood to… to this. And only because I will never say no to Auntie's cooking."

Still teasing him, she turned away with a mock haughty huff, her long braid swinging from the motion, "I am acting as it is befitting of my station." They started walking out of Kai'el's office.

"Right," he said dubiously, "Weren't you the one who told the Goldenbough heir to 'stuff it' at a ball?"

"That was my first ball!" Lylenne protested, "And he isa pretentious snob."

He just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine, I am not the textbook definition of a noblewoman," she huffed. By the time they reached the courtyard the sun shone high in the sky, signifying that it was time to break for lunch.

"That is where you are mistaken, dear sister of mine."

"And what is my mistake then?"

"You are exactly what a noblewoman should be like." At that Lylenne could not help a hitch in her breath. She didn't even notice that she stopped right in the middle of the beaten path, leading to quiet and isolated place in the forest surrounding the palace grounds.

Kai'el, whose stride did not falter, shot over his shoulder at her like nothing happened, "What is taking so long?"

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Lylenne smiled and hurried to catch up.

* * *

Meanwhile, the youngest of the Starsorrow triplets was returning home from the night shift at the Healers' Ward. She was met with a silent foyer, which was not a surprise. It was generally quiet at the estate unless at least three of them were at home and in the same room. A rare occasion because of their conflicting schedules. Evenings had the greatest chance of finding all of them together at once, and even then, tired from the day, they preferred to draw quiet comfort from each other.

Syravea Starsorrow was the youngest. However, she insisted that being triplets, it did not matter and _why do you have to call me the baby, you were born only a couple of minutes earlier!_

Anyway, being the youngest meant being both coddled and smothered. It did not help that she used to be a rather weak and frail child due to complications at birth that took away their mother.

Syravea, or as her siblings affectionately called her 'Vea, was more delicate than here sisters. Same eyes, same raven hair, though she preferred to keep hers in a long pixie cut, yet shorter and smaller stature. As a child she used to get frustrated at her non-existent stamina and inability to play outside. Her sisters staying with her made Syravea feel even guiltier. Of course, her health has improved a lot since then, and while she would never be as athletic as other elves, she could live with it.

She ventured upstairs, knowing all too well where to find her studious sister. Their Library with capital 'L' was the envy of many, vast and filled with books from floor to ceiling. They had been able to gain more than a couple favors just by lending out some of the more obscure tomes.

Cerea did not even lift her head from whatever she was reading when her younger sister entered her favorite haunt. Walking over, Syravea peeked over her shoulder expecting another book about history or a detailed analysis of one of many agreements between troll tribes. That was not what she found.

"'Rea, why are you reading about spatial magic?"

Cerea just hummed still engrossed in her reading.

Syravea sighed. Typical Cerea, give her a book and lose her for an undetermined amount of time. Seeing a lost cause for what it was, Syravea decided she might as well check up on the human they found. After all, it was obvious Cerea did not deem him a threat, if she thought reading was acceptable.

Syravea knocked on the guest room door, entering only after a hesitant 'come in'.Their guest was awake and standing near the window. His look was assessing and wary, justifiably so, as he was in an unknown territory with a total stranger. Better start of as friendly.

"Good afternoon," she walked further into the room, "Glad to see you awake this time, Mr.?" Syravea cocked her head to the side indicating she did not know how to address him.

"Kudou Shinichi," it was obvious the name came out of reflex to hearing a similar question as he looked flustered from hearing 'awake this time'.

"Nice to meet you properly, Mr. Shinichi. My name is Syravea Starsorrow," she furrowed her brows when he turned even redder, "Is something wrong?"

"There was a bit of a mix up. My first name is Shinichi and family name is Kudou," Mr. Shini- Kudou clarified, "And just Kudou, please."

 _Ah, so that was the problem_. "Then, Kudou, as you are awake now, I would like to properly examine you."

Seeing his wary look she added, "I'm a healer, and I examined you after we found you."

He still looked suspicious but nodded in assent.

Syravea gestured for him to sit on the bed while she adjusted the sleeves of her healer robes. Kudou gasped and flinched backwards from her, when yellowish-white glow of healing magic engulfed her hands.

Slowly, as not to spook a frightened wild animal, the healer dispelled the magic and lowered her hands. Kudou's eyes were wide and disbelieving.

"Have you never seen healing magic before?" she asked.

"As I've already told the other lady before, I'm not from around here."

"I have not spoken to her yet," she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, "How far do you mean by 'not from around here'?"

Kudou averted his eyes, "Another dimension far?"

Syravea showed no outward reaction to the new information. She worked as a healer and had seen much weirder things before. Like the incident with two grapes, a ridiculously sharp toothpick and a flute of champagne. _Nothing_ will faze her after _that_.

 _At least Cerea's choice of reading material makes sense now,_ she thought with bemusement. Lighting up her hands with healing magic once again, she addressed her patient, "Further details can wait," _for now_ she added in her mind _,_ "I insist that I examine you first."

Kudou eyed he glowing hands with the same distrust one may an unfamiliar suspicious looking fruit, "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Syravea's tone allowed no further argument.

"Fine," Kudou conceded, looking both unhappy and resigned.

The check was a routine for the youngest Starsorrow, so she was done in blink. Fortunately, there were no changes in his condition. Her patient, on the other hand, seemed really surprised.

"That's all?"

"Yes, that's all. There is nothing wrong, if you disregard subtle signs of a slightly stunted growth. I guess you must have had health problems at some point of your body's development. Now? You are perfectly healthy," she turned to leave.

"Wait," he called after her, "Didn't you want to know the full story?"

"I can get it from my sister. Moreover, my two other siblings have not heard the story either," she explained. "Being too hasty never does anyone any good. But if you are volunteering?"

He was quick to shake his head, "No, no, I'm good."

Syravea felt his gaze on her back as he was left to his own devices once again.

Stepping into the corridor, she caught the smell of baking from downstairs. Cerea must have smelled it too as she exited the Library, nose still buried in the book. Syravea wondered if she found anything of interest. They headed to the kitchens. Syravea had to grab her sister's elbow to steer her away from the stairs' railing she nearly ran into. By the looks of it, they would get Cerea back only after their brother came home.

When they arrived at their destination, they were met with the sight of their older sister (by a few minutes!) wiping white patches of flour from the counter. Sweet smell of a cherry pie backing wafted from the oven. Leading her other older still unresponsive sister to the nearest chair, Syravea greeted Lylenne while moving over to the faucet to wash her hands.

She knew that everyone had already resigned themselves to whatever she would fail to cook. She had no idea why nothing she tried to cook turned out well. Even if she followed the recipe to the tiniest detail, the end result would turn out burned, overcooked or undercooked. How her brother managed to throw together something delicious with the most ludicrous ingredients would forever remain a mystery. At least Lylenne baked a pie.

"Has she been like this for long?" Lylenne asked motioning her head towards Cerea.

"Since before I returned," she answered, "Turns out our guest is from another dimension and now Cerea is researching spatial magic. I would not expect to see her come out of the zone any time soon."

Lylenne made an understanding sound at the explanation of Cerea's reading binge, but had to clarify, "Another dimension?"

"I have not hot all details yet but basically – yes. Cerea does not seem to think him to be dangerous though. I agree, how can he be a threat when he was shocked at seeing magic?"

Lylenne narrowed her eyes, "So no magic wherever he came from. _If_ he is telling the truth." As a ranger and the oldest sister she learned to never trust too easily.

"Mhm…" Syravea finished peeling vegetables for the stew. Grabbing the nearest knife, she said, "I figured there was no point in him or Cerea explaining the situation to us separately, so I left him alone. For now."

Lylenne nodded, leaning on the counter, "So we wait for Kai. He said he'll come home as soon as he is finished talking with the King." She grabbed another knife from the knife stand, "Need some help?"

* * *

 **End Note:** All of the Starsorrows (living ones) have been introduced into the story. I'm trying to make them seem real and not Mary Sues. Hope I managed it.

About the titles and such. They've been mentioned already, but a more thorough explanation and structure/hierarchy will be introduced at a later date. I didn't want to overload the chapter with it.

Don't worry, Shinichi will finally meet Kai'el in the next chapter.

P.S. Remember Auntie Eve'era, she'll be important in the future.


	3. Chapter 3 New Places, Old Faces

_**Notes:**_ This chapter turned out to be quite angsty, which was expected because 'Hey, you are in another world, surrounded by magic and you know what? BAM! Here is someone who looks and sounds just like your dead love.' Yup, that will go as well as expected.

* * *

 **Chapter 3. New Places, Old Faces**

 _ **Chapter summary:**_ _In which Shinichi angsts, Kai'el is wondering, Lylenne is suspicious, and Cerea is still in bookland._

Shinichi had no idea for how long he was lost in thought since Syravea had walked out the door.

 _Magic_

He thought back to the light that engulfed her slender hands and couldn't help but look for a logical explanation to it. He knew he wouldn't be able to find it.

 _Magic_

And that was it, wasn't it? Magic was the answer to all of his questions. Completely illogical, it should be ridiculous for him to even contemplate it.

 _Yet here we are…_

With a tired sigh he leaned against the headboard. Getting shrunk into a 7-year-old? That he could handle. His current predicament? Not so much. There was no poison to give a completely legitimate (Haibara had a way of making the impossible effects of APTX 4869 seem logical) scientific explanation. There was no miraculous antidote for it either.

What was going on back at home? Were they looking for him? Did they have any clue? Hattori proved himself capable of making the most impossible leaps in logic (teenage detective turned into a 7-year-old? How did he even...?), but dimension hopping was way too far-fetched even for the Osakan detective.

 _Was it possible to return?_

The Heart's Desire looked lifeless, just like a normal stone. Would it be of any use? He didn't even know anything about magic and everything that came with it.

Like _elves_ and a _whole different world_.

Covering his face with his palms, Shinichi voiced his frustration, "Who did I piss off in my last life so much?"

Really, what was a chance of a person to encounter a murder? Some never even saw a corpse in their whole life. What was the probability of getting shrunk? What was the probability of _teleporting to a different dimension/world/whatever_?!

The first lady he talked to… Cerea, was it? She mentioned her brother examining the gem. Maybe he would be able to find a way to send Shinichi back?

Thinking of the mysterious brother, Shinichi tried to shoo away the possible connection between the voice he heard _–Kaito's voice–_ and Cerea's brother.

It was improbable. Impossible. Utterly illogical. Despite it, the gem's name was the Heart's Desire. If he was to believe in magic and teleportation, then he had to believe in the legend surrounding the stone. Meaning… Meaning all this was to grant his wish.

There was only _one_ thing he wanted _more than anything_.

He knew it. He could deduce it, no matter how unrealistic it was. He just was too afraid to put it into words. To hope. To find hope and have it shattered. Like his whole world was shattered into little pieces five years ago.

He still blamed himself because he didn't do enough. Even after he fought tooth and nail to purge the Black Organization rot, it wasn't enough. He couldn't help but wonder… Had he been more thorough in cleaning up loose ends, would he still have his phantom thief? It was a destructive way of thinking, he knew it. However, if he had just paid more attention, got less drunk on victory and freedom…

Shinichi jumped at an unexpected knock coming from the window.

A colorful little bird was sitting on the other side preening its feathers. Its build was that of a dove, but the colors were more suitable for a parrot. It was mostly covered by red feathers that were nearly pink starting from its head and became brighter and richer towards the tip of its tail. Its wings were speckled with white and had black tips. A black beak hit the glass once again.

On a different occasion Shinichi would have admired its beauty. Now, however, it only drove the point home. He was in a totally unfamiliar environment, even flora and fauna were alien and strange.

Moreover, elves… Cerea and Syravea totally threw him off balance, each conversation having left him reeling and scrambling to find his footing. Both didn't seem malicious in any way. They didn't seem too caring of his fate either. Though, what did he expect? Shinichi was an anomaly and a stranger here, not the other way around.

 _Knock-knock-knock_

The little birdie was insistent. He got out of bed and moved towards the window. On the other side the little birdie tilted its head as if asking him _'Can I come in?'_

"Might as well let it in," Shinichi mumbled as he reached for the handle. As soon as there was enough space, the bird darted into the room, flew around it once and landed on his head.

Shinichi lifted his hand up carefully for the bird to hop on. It did so without hesitation.

"It seems so tame," Shinichi noted with a bittersweet smile as he stroked the bird's head with his finger. It reminded him of Kaito's doves.

 _Knock-knock_

Shinichi startled, spooking the bird, who this time was not the culprit of the sound. As he turned he saw it zoom put of the window. The door opened and revealed Syravea.

She looked at his 'caught with his hand in a cookie jar' expression and raised one perfect eyebrow before announcing, "Dinner time."

* * *

Lylenne's gaze followed her sister up the stairs as she set the table. Kai'el was busy transferring pastries to a plate from a box they were stored in. Delicious smell of cinnamon and sugar wafted from it. Along with her pie it should be enough to satisfy Cerea's sweet tooth. If they were lucky, it should be able to lure her away from her precious reading.

 _Tough luck there,_ she thought, looking at Cerea, who was still engrossed in her studies.

When their brother came home, Syravea briefed them on what she found out, which was not much. Not of this world? No magic? The how and why was still unknown. Cerea must have known more, but… Another page rustled as the middle Starsorrow sister worked her way through the tome. No help from her while she was in the zone. They just accepted that if Cerea thought it was alright to leave their guest unattended, then they would trust her decision. To a degree.

They may have been taking everything in stride, but Lylenne knew to keep cards close to her chest. So did Kai'el. Being the oldest and most involved in the political scene, Lylenne watched her brother smile at petty nobles for years while maneuvering them into doing what he wanted (and even that was while tricking them into thinking it was their own idea) for years. No one had ever seen Lord Starsorrow without a smile. She, however, knew it was as genuine as a boar dancing ballet while drunk. She did not remember much of her father, but according to Kai'el, he had left him a useful lesson.

 _Smile to conceal. Be polite to disarm. Misunderstand to throw off._

Kai'el took to the lessons fast. Despite disliking and, in some cases, outright hating his political direction, _no one_ could say a bad word about the young Starsorrow head. Jovial smile and handsome looks charmed them, polite manner of speech and impeccable manners spoke of high standing, a silver tongue and sharp mind run circles around his opponents in verbal battles. _A perfect heir_ , that was how Kai'el was described while their father was still alive.

As for Lylenne and her sisters? Their father avoided them. She thought it was due to them taking after their mother a lot. There were no pictures of their mother displayed. Their father found it too painful to look at them, but she had found a portrait once in the attic covered by a heavy tarp. They looked just like her. Unfortunately for their father, he could not hide the sisters in the attic, so he avoided them for all the short time they knew him. Hundred years was not a long time in elven terms and they knew him for only a couple years more. His avoidance was also the reason why they were so dependent on and close to Kai'el. He picked up the slack, looked after them, read bedtime stories and sang lullabies, played with them and acted more like a parent than their own father in general.

She did not really have an opinion on their father's behavior, really. No, she did not hate him. She did not like or mourn him either. Nevertheless, what she could not fault her father in was that he adored Kai'el, his golden boy, his perfect heir. All the love he could not give them? He used it on Kai'el. Praises, lessons, advice, that Kai'el could get from him in abundance. Her brother, for his part, disliked their father's attitude towards his little sisters, but could not do anything about it. However, he really loved their father, listened to everything he said and strived to make him proud. He soaked up all the lessons like a sponge. A very hungry sponge. He learned politics, battle tactics, war codex, governmental management, languages, psychology and anything else that was put in front of him. Lylenne remembered clearly how he used to sit in their room with a book on some subject whenever they said they were too scared to sleep alone. Quite rustle of turning pages still managed to calm her nerves even centuries later.

Her sharp ears picked up approaching steps. Neither her nor Kai'el gave any indication that they had noticed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a young human male come to a halt a good meter away. His eyes seemed to be glued to Kai'el, which made suspicion bubble in her stomach. It was common for people to notice her brother's presence first, that she understood, but the intensity with which the human stared at him was strange.

It was decided, she would keep an eye on him.

* * *

Kaitou KID was known for his ability to disguise as anyone.

Kudou Shinichi was known for being able to see through the thief's disguises despite all odds without resorting to face pulling while they had still been rivals and played cat and mouse as the thief and the detective.

When they started dating and got to know each other even better, Shinichi learned to recognize Kaito in any situation, which was why looking at the tall male elf made his mental processes stutter and come to a temporarily halt.

It was him. If he pretended he was back home and everything was alright, it could have been Kaito masquerading as an elf for some impossible scheme his crazy mind came up with or something of that sort. He barely resisted pinching himself as he stared at not-Kaito in daze.

If it bothered him, not-Kaito did not show it. He cleared his throat and gestured towards the table, "We should eat first before starting with business."

That snapped Shinichi from the trance he was in as he was ushered to his seat. He watched as food was distributed in silence.

After a few uncomfortable minutes of silverware clanking against plates, not-Kaito decided to break the silence, "Now, let us start with introductions. My name is Kai'el Starsorrow, I am the lord of this house. You can call me Kai'el." Next, he inclined his head towards an unfamiliar elf that looked nearly identical to Cerea and Syravea, "This is Lylenne. You must have met Cerea and Syravea already. They are triplets and my dear little sisters as you may have noticed."

He nodded hesitantly, "I'm Shinichi Kudou. You can call me Shinichi?" Despite himself, the last part came out more like a question. He noticed earlier with Syravea that the order was like in the western countries, first name then family name.

"My pleasure to make an acquaintance, Shinichi," Not-Ka- _Kai'el_ studied him for a moment, "Syravea gave us the bare bones of the situation, but I would like to get a proper explanation straight from the source. If you would be so kind as to do so?"

"O-of course," Shinichi said as he noted that Kai'el's manner of speech was similar to KID's. He tried to collect his thoughts. With a sigh, he started recounting his findings. "As you already know, I'm not from around here. My guess is that the stone you found on me is to blame for the whole mess. Its name is the Heart's Desire and is pretty self-explanatory."

"Does it grant wishes?" Lylenne asked, interest sparkling in her eyes.

He threw an unsure look towards Cerea, who had not lifted her head from the book even once and was mechanically transferring food from her plate into her mouth. "We think it does," he shook his head at her inquiring look, "I'd rather not say what the wish was as I'm still not exactly sure what it is and how dimension travelling could grant it." _Now I'm pretty certain,_ he thought to himself trying not to look at Kai'el _._

Lylenne threw him a pointed look, "Withholding information does you no favors."

Shinichi flinched but protested, "I have my reasons for not sharing it with you. I want to get to the bottom of the situation as much as you, maybe even more. If don't share my thoughts on what the wish is, then it is not important right now."

No, he was NOT going to confess that, as impossible as it was,he was teleported to another dimension to be mocked by some twisted reality where a version of his lover existed and didn't know him.

 _Be careful what you wish for, huh?_

Lylenne had that stubborn look on her face he was used to seeing on Sonoko when things didn't go her way. She was about to push him further, when Kai'el decided it was time to intervene.

"Stop it, Lylenne," his tone allowed no argument. "Shinichi is not a prisoner for you to interrogate. We already know he has no malicious intent and is even more lost in this situation than anyone. Unless the circumstances call for it, we will not pry more than he is comfortable with."

She huffed in annoyance but complied. Kai'el motioned for Shinichi to continue.

"Thank you," Shinichi said to Kai'el as his shoulders slumped in relief, "I think that the gem may help to find a way to send me back."

And he needed to get back. Others were most likely worried sick for him. Ran won't forgive him for another disappearance. He desperately avoided thinking that _he was here. Kaito (Nonononothat'snot_ _ **Kaito**_ _) was here._

"Tomorrow is my free day, so I will look into it then," Kai'el said, though he had little hope to find anything useful as the stone was dead, its magic most likely used up. However, he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud and crush Shinichi's hopes. For some reason the man that appeared in their lives out of nowhere seemed familiar, like he met him somewhere before, even though he was sure he had never seen him before.

"What I want to know is what we are going to do with him now," Syravea spoke up for the first time since the conversation started. "We do not know whether he can be sent home. What if it will take months or even years to find the solution? If he is stuck, where would he go? He is a human trespassing on elven lands after all."

Shinichi flinched. It was harsh, but those questions were viable. What if he couldn't go back? What would he do then?

 _Oh god,_ Shinichi thought with dawning horror, _it's Conan all over again_.

Kai'el seemed to have noticed his distress, "Let's not be too hasty, 'Vea. I will examine the gem tomorrow and we will plan from there."

"And should returning him home turn out to be impossible? Syravea made a good point," Lylenne pressed. She adored her brother, but sometimes she thought he was too kind.

"In the worst case I will authorize his stay. It was about time my position brought in some perks instead of inconveniences. We are on friendly terms with humans, so it should not be a problem."

The discussion progressed in that vein. It was decided that Shinichi was to stay with the Starsorrows for the duration of his hopefully temporarily stay. Should sending him home be impossible, there were options of sending him to a human settlement if he wished so.

While the siblings were planning what to do with him, Shinichi felt like he was watching everything from a third person perspective, robotically eating without tasting food, until he was gently coaxed upstairs. As he lay in bed, his foggy from all surprises mind whispered a thought that Shinichi would have no recollection of in the morning.

 _If home is there, why is Kaito here?_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _ **Omake**_

Deep into the night a thud of a heavy volume closing can be heard.

"Where has everyone gone?"

* * *

 **End Note:** Give Shinichi a break. And a hug. Seriously, he has too much on his plate right now.

As for why everyone else is so chill about everything, well, they are used to strange things happening. Like a beginner mage using a teleportation spell unsupervised to take a peek at the rumored Starsorrow Estate. Poor thing ended up all trussed up and in need of years of therapy on their doorstep, courtesy of the protective spells cast on property. Shinichi is fortunate to have avoided this fate, isn't he? Plus, humans in general elven opinion have less raw magic and experience, and are overall weaker. Shinichi, magicless and confused, poses no threat in their eyes.


	4. Chapter 4 Little Friends and Language B

_**Notes:**_ Angst but not much, but you get some glorious KaiShin interaction!

* * *

 **Chapter 4. Little Friends and Language Barriers**

 _ **Chapter summary:**_ _Shinichi needs bells (for reasons), Syravea is annoyed (being responsible is hard), Cerea loves her work (maybe too much), Lylenne is hugged (the horror!), and Kai'el finds it all amusing (at least someone is entertained)._

Sunlight streamed through the golden canopy creating brilliant sparks as golden leaves swayed in the wind. It was a beautiful sight, yet Shinichi couldn't bring himself to enjoy it. Everything was too uncertain and unpromising for him to relax.

True to the siblings' words Shinichi was not a prisoner. They gave him full freedom to roam around their property, the exception being any locked or personal rooms. Having nothing better to do, he looked around for most of the morning before stumbling upon the gardens. Vegetation in this new strange place was astoundingly beautiful. So far he had seen flowers of every imaginable color variation and trees covered in shimmering golden leaves.

Sitting beneath one such tree, Shinichi pondered how out of depth he felt. Even as Conan he hadn't felt so useless. Kai'el and Cerea locked themselves up in the workshop with the gem and a mountain of books.

His depressing musings were interrupted when he caught sight of something red hiding in the canopy of the tree he was leaning against. It was darting between branches too fast for his eyes to follow. Suddenly it burst through the tree leaves heading right for him. Startled, Shinichi shielded his face with his hands and waited for impact.

It never came.

Well, it did if you count a soft barely noticeable whisper of touch on his knee. Shinichi let his hands fall back to his sides as he stared at the little red bird, the same one he let into his room the day before. It chirped at him merrily.

"Hello," he greeted his new friend, stroking its head softly. It nibbled on his finger affectionately.

"Seems like Specs likes you."

Shinichi jolted in surprise, dislodging his little red friend in the process. It squawked indignantly at him before landing on the intruder's shoulder. What was with these people and scaring him?!

As for Kai'el, he looked amused and all too pleased with his reaction. His smirk widened when he heard Shinichi muttering about putting a bell on all of them.

"I apologize for scaring you."

If Shinichi didn't feel so uncomfortable with his presence, he would have given Kai'el a stink eye. He didn't look apologetic at all.

"May I?"

 _No_ , he wanted to say.

"Go ahead," was what he said shuffling a bit to the side to make room for Kai'el to sit down. A small part of him that wasn't panicking marveled at how the elven noble managed to make plopping down beneath a tree seem like a graceful and elegant move. Today being his free day, Kai'el opted to forgo his usual expensive getup that was not unlike clothes in historical dramas and aimed to impress and show off his noble status. Instead he wore a simple ensemble of royal blue tunics, leggings and comfortable looking leather boots. He looked gorgeous. Shinichi had to admit that he stared for longer than necessary.

Shinichi himself was dressed similarly but in smaller size. It turned out he was lucky that none of the Starsorrows are fond of cleaning the attic and had some of Kai'el's old clothes tucked away in a corner.

An awkward silence settled between them. Awkward on his part, Kai'el looked perfectly at ease and enjoying the breeze.

"So, um, Specs?" Shinichi finally asked fully knowing that he was grasping for straws.

"Mhm," he held out one finger to his shoulder for the birdie to hop on, "This little guy's name is Specs. He seems to have taken a liking to you." Specs chirped in agreement and jumped off Kai'el's finger to perch on Shinichi's knee, who resumed his earlier head stroking.

"Why Specs?"

Kai'el indicated the area around his eyes, "If you look closely, you can see white specks around his eyes. I find it amusing, specks in the shape of specs."

"What, really?" Shinichi looked closer and, yes, there were miniscule white dots around each eye.

"I find it strange."

Shinichi stopped his inspection of Spec's coloring to look at Kai'el questioningly, "What is strange?"

"Specs does not like strangers. That may be my fault. You see, I have raised him from an egg and spoiled him rotten. He hates when I do not pay him as much attention as he wants, the greedy bird." Specs fluffed his feathers as if to say ' _You should!_ ' "He barely tolerates my sisters thinking that they take my attention away from him."

"And he likes me?" Shinichi asked incredulously.

"I say he does," he confirmed, watching as Specs mounted his new favorite perch, which was Shinichi's head, with curiosity dancing in his eyes. However, curiosity gave way to seriousness. The quick change alerted Shinichi what the following conversation will not be pleasant.

"You didn't come here to discuss Spec's likes and dislikes."

"I didn't."

"It is about the gem."

"It is."

"I won't like what you are going to say."

"You won't."

Shinichi clenched his fists and braced himself.

"Tell me."

By the way he said it Kai'el understood that Shinichi would not appreciate him trying to soften the blow. In the short amount of time he knew the newcomer, Kai'el had to admit that he held himself together admirably well despite the circumstances. Plus, Specs liked him. That was a point in his favor.

"I will spare you dancing around the subject. From what I have gathered, the gem's magic was completely exhausted by your dimensional jump. Trace magic clinging to it gives the only indication that it is not just an ordinary rock, and there is not much that can be done with just trace magic analysis. If the magic was just dormant, it might have been possible to follow its last path to your dimension. From there it would have been a simple matter of finding someone or something to anchor you to in your home dimension and figuring out how to cast a teleportation spell powerful enough to send you there. Alas, the gem is just that, a rock. We have tried looking up mentions of similar events or gems but found nothing. Cerea is still going through the records; however, I doubt she will find anything useful."

Kai'el regretted being so blunt when he saw how Shinichi seemed to visibly sag under the weight of his words. Specs nuzzled the distraught human trying to comfort him.

"Do not give up so fast. Reverse engineering is only one way to go about it."

That made Shinichi perk up a bit. He looked at Kai'el with hope shining in his eyes, "There is a way?"

 _He is cute._

…

 _Wait, what?_

Kai'el's brief pause made Shinichi's hope wilt. He tried again, this time more uncertain, "Is there another way to send me home?"

Shaking away the stray and confusing thought, he answered, "There might be a way. You see, magic is not as straightforward and easy to manipulate as it may seem. There are hundreds of ways of accomplishing the same task with different methods. It is more a matter of practicality and modification. For example, nowadays cleaning spell is one of the easiest to learn. However, not many are aware that in the past it used to be a complex process of removing dirt particles with precise application of magic and required all the focus you could spare. Since the spell was modified and automatized bit by bit over the years, the science behind the process became obsolete."

Shinichi noticed how the raven haired noble seemed to glow with excitement when speaking about the subject. _Just like Kaito,_ he thought as a pang of grief shot through him as he remembered how Kaito used to chat a mile a minute about a new trick he wanted to try out.

"Do not get your hopes too high, though. Teleportation is the most unpredictable school of magic. Portal Masters are rare because of how complex it is."

What Kai'el failed to mention is another reason why Portal Masters were so rare. While creating a stable portal that will not collapse on itself with the one going through it was very hard, getting all the licenses and permits for portal creation was nigh impossible. There was a good reason for it, though. After one idiotic mage-wannabe decided to open a portal to the capital city while in the middle of a lake, strict regulations were established to prevent the repeat of the Great Flood of Aurora. Unfortunately, despite all the rules, there were quite a lot of idiots popping unstable portals left and right, which sometimes led to an eldritch horror attacking poor bystanders as well as the fool that opened the portal. Why was the dark dimension so popular amongst the idiots? Fortunately for Shinichi, Kai'el had the license despite not being an officially registered Portal Master, a perk of being so high up the food chain.

"We will need to proceed with caution as we do not want to tap into a dimension that houses something that can kill us or get sucked in ourselves," he shrugged. "I do like challenges, so do not think a couple of complications are enough to stop me."

Shinichi blanched at the mention of something deadly popping out or getting sucked in.

"Are you sure you are going to be alright doing it? I don't want you to get hurt or worse, killed, because of me." ' _Once was enough'_ went unsaid.

Kai'el just waved him off, "Leave it to me." He stood up and extended one hand to help Shinichi. "I am getting hungry and you have skipped lunch. I am sure you are starving."

Shinichi stared at the hand nervously.

 _It's not Kaito,_ he tried to reason. _Well it is, but he doesn't know you._

He took the hand and was suddenly lifted off the ground, running head first right into Kai'el's chest with an 'oof'. Kai'el found himself with an armful of a dimension hopping detective.

"Ah, I am sorry," he apologized, "I forgot how light humans are and misjudged my strength. Are you alright?"

Shinichi was trying really hard to impersonate a tomato based on how red his face got. It was even more obvious how much taller elves and by extension Kai'el was in comparison to Shinichi. He had to crane his head up to look the elven lord in the eyes. When his brain caught up with what happened, he moved so fast it looked like he teleported. Kai'el was left to blink at his suddenly empty arms.

"I-I'm fine! Let's go."

With that Shinichi marched off in the direction of the kitchens.

Kai'el shook his head and moved to follow him.

 _Cute_

* * *

 _What is wrong with me?!_

Shinichi continued to mentally flay himself all the way to the kitchens.

 _It's not Kaito!_

Yet it was.

 _You are from two different worlds. He is not even human!_

Then why did being in his arms feel so right?

 _There will only be heartbreak. You'll return home and then what? Mourn the loss again?_

Shinichi gritted his teeth in frustration. He had no business falling for this version of Kaito. He had a new life and family. Why would he need a corpse magnet like Shinichi?

Lost in his turmoil, Shinichi narrowly avoided a collision with Cerea, who had her face buried in a book. To think of it, the only time when he saw her without a book was his first coherent awakening. He opened his mouth to apologize, but she walked past him without paying him any attention.

"Do not bother."

 _A bell, all of them need a bell!_

"It is like speaking to a wall when Cerea gets like this," Syravea explained looking longsuffering. Today she was not dressed in her healer's robes and wore a dark blue floor length dress with long sleeves instead. "She has managed to fall down the stairs a few times. Now one of us makes sure to lead her to the kitchen safely when her stomach makes her seek nutrition."

"I see." He didn't. How can someone get so lost in a book to fall down the stairs? And he wasn't a hypocrite! Shinichi knew to hold the railing at least and never fell down.

While this was happening, Kai'el unhurriedly caught up to Shinichi, but luckily didn't comment on his abrupt departure.

"Seems like everyone is hungry," he said. Shinichi got confused when he started rolling back his sleeves. "It is my turn to cook today."

"Aren't you a noble and a master of the estate? Don't you have a cook or servants?" Now that he thinks about it, he didn't see anyone besides the siblings in the huge estate.

"We have no servants. The place is kept clean by spells and while cooking is a hassle, we like our privacy." Kai'el took out vegetables from… somewhere. "I would rather cook myself than have someone snooping around my home and spreading rumors or overhearing something they should not know." Syravea nodded in agreement.

Kai'el suddenly swiped Cerea's book while walking past her. Her incredulous and unladylike squawk made everyone but Kai'el stifle laughter.

"I was reading that!"

"Not at the table. Yesterday was an exception, not permission." The oldest Starsorrow passed the book to Shinichi. "Hold onto that for me, please. And 'Rea, your pout is adorable."

Shinichi chanced a peak at the book Cerea was reading. It wasn't informative.

"I can't read it," he blurted out.

Everyone looked at him.

"It is written in Common, you should understand it," Cerea said.

While Shinichi squinted at the strange squiggles on the page, Kai'el made a sound of understanding.

"Care to share with the class?" Cerea fell back into familiar banter, getting over the loss of her book fast now that there was something more interesting to occupy her curious mind.

Instead of answering he took off a –sapphire?– stud earring, one of the many different earrings that littered his long ears. It was enough of an answer for his sisters as they touched identical studs in their ears.

"Say something," Syravea told Shinichi.

"Something?" It came out more like a question.

"So that is the problem," Kai'el said, further confusing Shinichi because this time he had no idea what was said. It sounded like a completely unknown language to him. He looked at the earring which Kai'el was in the process of reattaching. After returning the jewelry to its rightful place, he started explaining in Japanese, though the lip movements didn't correspond to the words, now that Shinichi paid close attention.

"This little thing here," he tapped the stud, "is enchanted to translate spoken word for both the wearer and listeners."

Now it made sense, at least as much as magic could. "Handy," he commented.

"Very," Kai'el agreed, returning to dinner preparations. "That's why it is so rare. It is an unimaginably complex bit of magic and only the Royal Family and one other Great Noble House has such earrings. There are only nine in existence, three for each group."

"Of course, there is a drawback," Cerea took over the explanation as her brother started making stir fry. "We do not know what language is spoken while it is in effect. Hence, we had no idea that you speak a completely different language."

"Unfortunately it does not work with writing, even for the wearer," Syravea added. She moved around the room setting the table. "And are you going to help at all?" This was addressed to Cerea, who didn't move from her seat.

"You took my book hostage, so no," she huffed.

"Why I am the youngest, I do not know," Syravea said as she wacked Cerea upside the head with a spoon, ignoring the elicited cry of 'Why?!' and turned to her brother, "Can we demote 'Rea to the position of the youngest? Even a child is more mature than her."

"Hey! Whenever I do something and Kai does not you never scold him."

Kai'el ignored their bickering too used to it and wondered if he should season the stir fry more.

"Kai is an exception. Stop complaining and help."

Cerea answered with more complaints about favoritism.

Shinichi felt uncomfortable just standing there, so he moved to help setting the table. This was noticed by Syravea, which led to more comments on how even a 'guest' helped while Cerea just sat and watched.

When he first met them, Shinichi thought the sisters were pretty serious, but it turned out that was not the case. When the siblings understood that Shinichi wasn't going anywhere for undetermined amount of time and has no idea what their society is like, they started gradually relaxing because, of course, why should they act all noble-like in the confines of their own home?

It all looked so domestic, it tugged at Shinichi's heartstrings to look at such a homey scene and understand that it was Kaito's, but it wasn't Shinichi's. He was an outsider in Kai'el's life with no claim in it.

A sound of a door opening and closing alerted them that Lylenne returned home from the range. She had to keep her skills fresh after all. Soon she appeared in the doorway, most likely led there by the smell of her brother's cooking.

"I bought the pastries," she announced and was promptly glomped by Cerea.

"I like Lylenne better, she does not bully me like you!" she exclaimed and was immediately shook off by a peeved Lylenne.

"No, she does. You just like that she encourages your pastry addiction."

Shinichi felt Lylenne staring at him. He felt not unlike an insect under the magnifying glass in her presence and tried not to be in the same room with her. He had no idea what he had done that could warrant such treatment. Shinichi started squirming under her stare when Kai'el announced that the food was ready and shooed them to their seats.

"Sit down and eat, then we will give Lylenne a rundown of what she missed."

* * *

Their meal was uneventful at first. They briefed Lylenne on their findings, teased each other and prodded Shinichi for information about his world. Or more specifically Cerea bombarded him while others put in their two cents.

"Why would you want to know about a world without magic?" Shinichi finally asked after answering a good deal of Cerea's questions which consisted mostly of how they did something without magic.

"It's fascinating," she explained looking at him like he was a rare artifact on display. "Not every species is gifted in magic or have many magic users, but even the most lacking groups have a few at least a variation in their midst. Mostly healers or amateur mages even if their abilities are miniscule–"

"Safety hazards," both Kai'el and Syravea scoffed derisively.

"–do NOT interrupt me, you two! Everyone is well aware of your extreme dislike for incompetence. Anyway, the point is that magic is present everywhere even in measly quantities," she paused to swipe a sweet bun from Lylenne's plate, who didn't even try to fight for it and just rolled her eyes, stealing a creampuff from Cerea's plate in retaliation. "Your world, on the other hand, is fascinating. No magic, meaning you learned to make do without it. I am interested in how and with what you make up for it. And do not get me started on the fact that only humans inhabit your world! How did it come to be that way? Why are our worlds so different? Does our history have anything in common? Humans exist in both worlds, but why don't other species?"

Shinichi's flabbergasted expression drew a laugh from Kai'el. Lylenne and Syravea were eating their meal as if nothing out of ordinary was happening.

"Cerea is an Archivist," Kai'el said as if it explained everything. Of course it didn't.

Shinichi looked at him blankly. "Different world," he reminded.

"Ah," Kai'el nodded. "In a few words Archivists are a fusion of researcher, librarian and scribe. What you see right now is an example of a very passionate Archivist."

They looked at Cerea whose rant was still going strong and didn't show any signs of slowing down.

"You get used to it."

Cerea pulled out a thick book out (where did it come from?!) and started flipping through it at a rapid pace muttering under her breath.

"Eventually."

It didn't sound reassuring at all.

"Oh, and you are to take language lessons with Cerea, when she is busy with the rest of us. We do not know how long you are going to spend in our dimension, so you have to learn Common at least," he paused debating the pros and cons of giving Shinichi a warning. "Just be careful with the study material. That one time when a book page got torn in 'Rea's presence is something we prefer not to remember."

Shinichi prayed for patience.

.

.

.

 ** _Omake_**

"By the way, where are my clothes?"

"?"

"The clothes I was in, my original clothes."

"You did not have any clothes on when we found you."

"…"

"Do not worry, I dressed you myself after 'Vea checked you for injuries, and as a healer there was not anything she had not seen before."

"!"

"No need to feel embarrassed."

"Can we pretend this conversation never happened?"

"If that is what you want."

"Thank you."

"…"

"…"

"You do have a nice body though."

" _ **!**_ "

* * *

 **End Note:** Aaah, the choices. As much as I want them to get together already, this one will have to be a slow burn. Not the turtle pace, but character development is important.

Shinichi is feeling like he is betraying Kaito by being attracted to Kai'el. To Kai'el Shinichi is still just a human they found under strange circumstances. Remember, Kai'el doesn't have Kaito's memories and didn't fall in love with Shinichi. Kai'el is flirty by nature (like Kaito) and it affects his interactions with Shinichi. At the moment he just finds him cute, but there is no real attraction of feeling behind it. Shinichi has spent only three days in this new dimension, one of which he was unconscious. Two days are not enough for anything to happen. Let's give them some time to get to know each other.

Comment and ask questions if you have any, I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my ability!

Also, what did you think of the omake? xD


	5. Chapter 5 Schooling and Fairies

_**Note:**_ We finally move beyond Estate doors! :D A bit, but we do, and that's what counts.

* * *

 **Chapter 5. Schooling and Fairies**

 _ **Chapter summary:**_ _Shinichi is mildly terrified, the King is in possession of a pretty fairy, and we go through a crash course on elven architecture._

Slavedrivers, all of them.

Shinichi spent the whole week literally buried in study material. It seemed that the Starsorrow siblings were intent on making him fluent in Common as soon as possible. Shinichi had to give it to them, they were effective. In just a week he could hold a simple conversation on everyday topics pretty well. Spoken language came to him easily enough.

Cerea and Syravea were responsible for his speaking practice. He was okay with that. He got along with the younger sisters just fine. Syravea was amiable if pretty blunt, which was okay in his books, although he started doubting it after a few lessons. Shinichi had reasons. The less said about it the better. Cerea scared him a bit, but he felt he dodged a bullet (more like a missile) by having her teach him _spoken_ language, if Kai'el's warning was anything to go by.

Kai'el himself, surprisingly, didn't participate in teaching him Common. The young lord reasoned that while learning the language was important, learning about the world around him was a must.

"Can't leave you stumbling around blind, can we?" Kai'el said teasingly.

So, on weekends they sat down together to get Shinichi acquainted with their world. Shinichi felt guilty and reluctant to admit that he really and genuinelyenjoyed Kai'el's company. Shinichi did his best to pretend the sly curl of his lips and velvety tone didn't make his stomach do cartwheels like an acrobat on caffeine high in a drug induced delirium. And no, he didn't find the way Kai'el's long ears bobbed and swayed softly when he turned his head or nodded absolutely and utterly adorable. Not even when it was accompanied by soft clinking of numerous (and most likely enchanted) earrings. Definitely not.

Unsurprisingly, the young lord turned out to be a masterful storyteller and didn't get annoyed at Shinichi for asking a lot of questions.

"Having younger siblings requires lots and lots of patience," he quipped good-naturedly.

All in all, speaking practice and education on general knowledge was going pretty well. Same couldn't be said for his lessons in writing. If he had dodged the Cerea Missile, then metaphorical and apparently vengeful shrapnel happened to hit him right in the face.

"You are doing it wrong. You wrote 'dreadful' instead of 'delightful'. I know that these two letters are similar, but they can change the whole meaning of a word. Do you want to insult someone by accident?"

The urge to crumple the paper he was hunched over grew with every failed squiggle. Kanji was similar in the regard of adding an extra stroke or forgetting one, but this was ridiculous. He was sure he would have fewer problems if he was allowed to use block letters.

"Please, remind me," he groused, "Why can't I use block letters?"

"Using cursive is a sign of good upbringing and education," Lylenne huffed haughtily. "It seems like you are stuck here for the time being and I refuse to associate with riff-ruff that do not know their ABCs."

Why? Why did he have to have lessons in writing with her? He had already established that reincarnation was not just a fairy tale made up to make people do good things in the name of karma just by being in this strange new world. If that was the case, had he been someone who kicked and murdered puppies in his last life?

Shinichi was sure the eldest triplet hated his guts for some unexplainable reason. Shinichi wouldn't put it past her to make him write in cursive (loopy and swirly nightmare from hell) just to make his life difficult.

She wasn't outright hostile, but it still showed in not so subtle 'I-am-watching-you' looks.

 _And what's with the uppity tone?_

Giving her the benefit of doubt, he could assume that she was like that with strangers, but still…

 _I wish I didn't have to bear her attitude!_

Another discarded paper, another admonishment.

"This is going nowhere," he growled, throwing the pen away and getting smudges all over paper he was scribbling on. At least it was a pen. A fountain pen, but a pen nonetheless. He was a bit afraid he would have to use quills with noble and aristocratic vibe coming from his hosts.

"Now, do not be childish. You need to learn and we did not rearrange our schedules to tutor you just to hear your complaining, so man up and have at it," Lylenne said uncaringly as she polished an ornate dagger. "Be happy that it is not Ae'ran you have to learn. It appears most find it impossible to get the pronunciation right. Surprisingly and in some cases unfortunately, trolls find learning it easy for some reason. Just as they do Common, by the way."

Did she just imply he was dumber than a troll?! Shinichi resisted glowering at her as he eyed the gleaming and undoubtedly sharp weapon warily. Why did she even need it? In the library?

"I do not hear pen on paper," Lylenne called out in a sing-song voice.

 _Why me?!_

* * *

Elven architecture was unlike any other.

Unlike other species, elves detested destroying nature and felling trees to make room for building construction. For that reason, most buildings were constructed either in clearings or around trees in such a way that sometimes trees grew right in the middle of them, only adding to the beauty. Buildings were usually built larger in area rather than higher up, two stories high at most, with the exception of tall spires serving as observation points.

Starsorrow Estate, for example, has a couple of great trees growing right through the roof. It does help that trees accept defensive spells with eager readiness and even strengthen them with time. Considering that every generation only added more spells over old ones, the Estate was more like an impenetrable fortress, the trees cherished and carefully tended to by the Estate's inhabitants.

The Starsorrow Estate was beautiful in all its cream-colored glory with wide balconies and ornate carvings. It was home. However, even Kai'el had to admit that the Royal Palace –he may be biased— was the second most beautiful architectural creation in Ae'ra.

He navigated the gilded halls of the palace with ease of someone who was more than familiar with them. It was not long before he reached the King's chambers and opened the door without any hesitation –or knocking.

"Will you ever learn to knock?" The King's smile at the sight of his Advisor showed that he was not as irritated as he wanted it to seem. He eagerly abandoned the missive he was reading in favor of turning to face his Head Tactician.

 _Pure sunshine._ If Kai'el was asked to describe his King in two words, he would say, _pure sunshine._

Golden hair kept in the royal half ponytail style, unblemished skin, high cheekbones and strong jawline. Tales of the Kings handsomeness were not exaggerated, but it was not what Kai'el meant by pure sunshine. What he meant were soft and silly little smiles that appeared on his face whenever he saw happy people of his Kingdom, the crease between his brows that appeared when he read through unnecessarily complicated documents, an awe filled look in his blue eyes at the sight of a tiny hatchling in Kai'el's hands that was later named Specs that made Kai'el want to protect him forever, the way his face lit up when he saw his oldest and truest friend and confidant.

Seeing that smile reminded Kai'el why exactly he agreed to take up the blasted position of the Head Tactician.

He would never say it out loud, so instead Kai'el made a show of thinking carefully to answer the King's question before settling on a cheeky, "Of course not, Your Majesty".

Despite how preposterous such an interaction may look like to an outsider's perspective, it was natural for the King and his Advisor for they had been the Prince and his Friend for far longer. They _did_ have to put on a show that was more compliant with the social hierarchy in public though. Kai'el chuckled mirthlessly, thinking that of all skills he had acquired, acting was the most useful by far.

"Is it how you show respect to a royalty?"

"If I saw one, I would."

"Rude."

"If people knew half of the things I know about you, you would be far less intimidating. For me, King or not, you will always be a wee little thing that used to waddle after me."

"I am your King!"

"You have a bigger crown now, so what?"

They stared at each other for a long moment before bursting out into laughter.

The King wiped away a stray tear of laugher before saying, "Kai, never change."

"As if," he answered after getting his breathing back under control. "So, Sol, why did you call for me?"

Sol straightened and the air around him changed in an instant, signifying that Kai'el was no longer speaking to Sol, his friend; he was facing Sol Dawnbreak, the King of Ae'ra. He quickly fished out an envelope from a high stack of papers on his desk and passed it to Kai'el.

Young lord's eyebrows rose in surprise at the crest adorning the thick paper. He shot a look at Sol, but his face remained impassive. He took a letter out of the envelope, taking care not to rip it accidentally. As he read through its contents his eyebrows climbed even higher, on the verge of disappearing into his hairline.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"My thoughts exactly. I had to double check and cross reference the handwriting before even considering it to be genuine."

"I have not got any warnings lately, so that tells us something at least," he muttered, lost in thought as his eyes danced all over the paper noting important details and committing them to memory. He raised his head to look the young monarch in the eye. "How much time do we have before you absolutely have to send an answer?"

"Two days, three if we push it."

"Should be enough to verify this and plan our next move. Await a report tomorrow morning on your desk. I will come up with a preliminary plan of action and bring it to you in the afternoon to make corrections."

"Excellent," Sol held onto his kingly aura for a few more seconds before relaxing. "And this," Sol smiled widely (it was not a grin, because a royalty should be refined and poised and does not _grin_ ), "Is the reason why you are the best of the best."

Kai'el made a show of preening, "Thank you, I am undeserving of such high praise from His Majesty himself."

Sol laughed, delighting in friendly teasing he could not hope to get from his subjects. Being a royalty put an impenetrable barrier between him and his subjects. He did not know and did not want to know what his life would have been like without Kai'el. He thanked the Stars for their mothers having been close friends; otherwise Kai'el would have been just a distant noble in his court.

But all good things come to an end sooner or later, usually sooner.

"I should be going," Kai'el said, returning the envelope to Sol. "Information does not just magically appear on my desk after all."

"It does on mine."

"Maybe it is because you have a personal information fairy."

"Did you just seriously call yourself a fairy?"

"Excuse me, I am the prettiest fairy you will ever see," Kai'el declared over his shoulder as he disappeared out the door. He reveled in the sound of laughter that followed him.

.

.

.

 _ **Omake – Speaking lessons with Syravea and Cerea**_

"Now that you have a basic grasp of vocabulary, we will cover everyday topics. Is it alright with you?"

Shinichi nodded at Cerea.

"Would you like to choose topics you would prefer to cover first?" At his nod she started listing off the topics, marking down the options he chose. At first the list seemed normal with topics such as weather and hobbies. He chose some of the more common topics before falling silent. Cerea looked up at his abrupt pause. She found him staring. Then staring some more.

"How is 'Asking if anyone is dead, dying or hurt' an everyday topic?" He may sound like a hypocrite, but normal people didn't open a conversation with 'Are you dying?'

Syravea, who was looking over Cerea's shoulder, was unperturbed, "Is it not?"

Shinichi knew all the staring he was doing was rude. He still stared.

"I ask if someone is hurt or dying on a daily basis," Syravea elaborated not seeing what was wrong with the whole situation. Cerea's lack of input or reaction only made it worse.

 _What. The. Fuck._

Shinichi spent a whole month walking on eggshells around Syravea before Kai'el finally inquired about the reason for his jumpiness.

Kai'el ended up being the one nearly dying. Of laughter. Only after he finally calmed down, he reminded Shinichi that Syravea was a healer. You could literally hear gears click into place. Shinichi's gobsmacked expression promptly sent Kai'el into another fit of laughter.

Of all times for Shinichi's logic to take a vacation.

* * *

 **End Note:** Lylenne is Hakuba to Shinichi's Kaito. Or is it another way round?

Sooooo, anyway. The Kingdom has a name now yaaaay: Ae'ra = Kingdom, Ae'ran = language.

Pssst… Syravea is lowkey terrifying and can murder you with a napkin and then bring you back to life with her healer-y powers.


End file.
